PULLMAN, Wash. – WSU announced on June 9 that it is addressing a security incident involving certain community members’ personal information.

Though there is no evidence the personal information has been accessed or misused, WSU is notifying impacted individuals and offering free identity protection services to those individuals whose personal information may have been accessed.

On April 21, 2017, WSU learned that a locked safe containing a hard drive had been stolen. The hard drive was used to store backed-up files from a server used by the university’s Social & Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC). Immediately upon learning of the theft, WSU initiated an internal review and notified local law enforcement. On April 26, WSU confirmed that the stolen hard drive contained personal information from some survey participants and, as a result, the university retained a leading computer forensics firm to assist in the investigation.